In recent years, due to the development of technology, the human body is exposed to a high level of exposure to electromagnetic radiation (EMP), which could not but cause serious concern throughout the world.
What is the effect of electromagnetic radiation on living organisms? Their consequences depend on which category of radiation - ionizing or not - they belong to. The first type has a high energy potential, which acts on the atoms in the cells and leads to a change in their natural state. This can be deadly, as it causes cancer and other diseases. Non-ionizing radiation includes electromagnetic radiation in the form of radio waves, microwave radiation and electrical vibrations. Although it cannot change the structure of an atom, its effect can lead to irreversible consequences.
Invisible danger
Publications in the scientific literature have raised the question of the adverse effects on individuals and society as a whole of non-ionizing radiation from electromagnetic fields emanating from power, electrical and wireless devices in everyday life, in production, in educational and public institutions. Despite numerous problems in establishing irrefutable scientific evidence of harm and gaps in elucidating the exact mechanisms of its application, epidemiological analysis increasingly suggests a significant potential for traumatic effects from non-ionizing radiation. Protection against electromagnetic radiation is becoming increasingly relevant.
Due to the fact that medical education does not focus on the state of the environment, some doctors are not fully aware of the probable health problems associated with EMR, and, as a result, manifestations of non-ionizing radiation can be diagnosed incorrectly and undergo ineffective treatment.
If the possibility of damage to tissues and cells associated with exposure to x-ray radiation is beyond doubt, then the effect of electromagnetic radiation on living organisms, when they come from power lines, mobile phones, electrical appliances and some machines, has only recently begun to attract attention as a potential threat health.
Electromagnetic spectrum
Non-ionizing radiation refers to the type of energy that emits or radiates far beyond its source. The energy of electromagnetic radiation exists in various forms, each of which has different physical properties. They can be measured and expressed using frequency or wavelength. Some waves have a high frequency, others - medium and others - low. The range of electromagnetic radiation includes many different forms of energy emanating from various sources. Their name is used to classify the types of EMP.
The short wavelength of electromagnetic radiation corresponding to a high frequency is a characteristic of gamma rays, x-rays and ultraviolet radiation. Lower spectrum frequencies include microwave and radio waves. Light radiation belongs to the middle part of the EMP spectrum, it provides normal vision and is the light that we perceive. Infrared energy is responsible for the human perception of heat.
Most forms of energy, such as x-rays, ultraviolet and radio waves, are invisible and invisible to humans. Their detection requires the measurement of electromagnetic radiation using special instruments, and, as a result, people cannot evaluate the degree of exposure to energy fields in these ranges.
Despite the lack of perception, the action of high-frequency energy, including x-rays, called ionizing radiation, is potentially dangerous for human cells. By changing the atomic composition of cell structures, breaking chemical bonds and inducing the formation of free radicals, sufficient exposure to ionizing radiation can damage the genetic code in DNA or provoke mutations, thereby increasing the risk of malignant neoplasms or cell death.
Anthropogenic EMP
The influence of electromagnetic radiation on the body, especially non-ionizing, which is called the form of energy with lower frequencies, many scientists have underestimated. It was believed that it does not produce an adverse effect at normal levels of exposure. Recently, however, more and more data are appearing that indicate that some frequencies of non-ionizing radiation can potentially cause biological harm. Most studies of their effects on health have focused on the following three main types of anthropogenic electromagnetic radiation:
- lower scale of electromagnetic radiation from power lines, electrical appliances and electronic equipment;
- microwave and radio emission from wireless communication devices such as cell phones, cell towers, antennas, as well as television and radio towers;
- electrical pollution due to the operation of certain types of equipment (for example, plasma TVs, some energy-saving devices, variable speed motors, etc.) that produce signals whose electromagnetic frequency is in the range of 3-150 kHz (propagated and re-emitted by wiring).
Currents in the earth, sometimes called stray, wires are not limited. Current moves along the path of least resistance and can pass through any available paths, including along the ground, wires and various objects. Accordingly, electrical voltage is also transmitted through the earth and through building structures by means of metal water or sewer pipes, as a result of which non-ionizing radiation enters the immediate environment.
EMR and human health
While studies examining the negative properties of electromagnetic radiation have sometimes produced conflicting results, a diagnosis of reproductive dysfunction and cancer susceptibility appears to confirm the suspicion that exposure to EMF may pose a threat to human health. An unfavorable outcome of pregnancy, including miscarriages, stillbirths, premature births, a change in the sex ratio and congenital anomalies - all were associated with the effect of EMR on the mother.
A large prospective study published in the journal Epidemiology, for example, reports the peak exposure of EMR to 1,063 pregnant women in the San Francisco area. The participants in the experiment wore magnetic field detectors, and scientists found a significant increase in fetal mortality with an increase in the level of maximum exposure to EMF.
EMR and cancer
Claims have been studied that the intense exposure of certain EMP frequencies can be carcinogenic. For example, the International Cancer Journal recently published an important case-control study on the relationship between childhood leukemia and magnetic fields in Japan. Assessing the level of electromagnetic radiation in the bedrooms, scientists have confirmed that high levels of exposure lead to a significantly greater risk of childhood leukemia.
Physical and psychological effects
People with electromagnetic hypersensitivity often suffer from depletion, which can affect any part of the body, including the central nervous system, musculoskeletal system, gastrointestinal tract and endocrine system. These symptoms often lead to constant psychological stress and fear of exposure to EMR. Many patients become incapacitated by the mere thought that an invisible wireless signal at any time and anywhere can provoke pain in their body. Constant fear and preoccupation with health problems affect one's well-being up to the development of phobias and fears of electricity, which some people feel like leaving civilization.
Mobile Phones & Telecommunications
Cell phones transmit and receive signals using EMFs, which are partially absorbed by their users. Since these sources of electromagnetic radiation are usually in close proximity to the head, this feature has led to concerns about the possible adverse effect of their use on human health.
One of the problems of extrapolating the results of their application in experimental studies in rodents is that the frequency of maximum absorption of RF energy depends on the size of the body, its shape, orientation and position.
Resonant absorption in rats is in the microwave and operating frequencies of mobile phones used in experiments (from 0.5 to 3 GHz), but on the scale of the human body it occurs at 100 MHz. This factor can be taken into account when calculating the absorbed dose rate, but it is a problem for those studies in which only the external field strength is used to determine the exposure level.
The relative depth of penetration in laboratory animals is larger than the size of the human head, and tissue parameters and the mechanism of heat redistribution are different. Another potential source of inaccuracies in exposure level is the effect of radio frequency radiation on the cell.
The effects of high voltage radiation on people and the environment
Power lines with voltages above 100 kV are the most powerful sources of electromagnetic radiation. Studies of the radiation exposure to technical personnel began with the start of construction of the first 220-kV transmission lines, when there were cases of deterioration of workers' health. The commissioning of 400 kV power lines led to the publication of numerous works in this area, which subsequently became the basis for the adoption of the first regulatory acts limiting the effect of a 50-Hz electric field.
Power lines with a voltage of more than 500 kV have an impact on the environment in the form of:
- electric field with a frequency of 50 Hz;
- corona radiation;
- magnetic field of industrial frequency.
EMF and nervous system
The mammalian blood-brain barrier consists of endothelial cells associated with the locking zones, as well as adjacent pericytes and the extracellular matrix. Helps maintain the highly stable extracellular environment necessary for accurate synaptic transmission and protects nerve tissue from damage. Increasing its low permeability to hydrophilic and charged molecules can be harmful.
Ambient temperatures that exceed the thermoregulation limits of mammals increase the permeability of the blood-brain barrier to macromolecules. Neuronal absorption of albumin in various regions of the brain depends on its temperature and manifests itself when it is increased by 1 ° C or higher. Since sufficiently strong radio frequency fields can lead to tissue heating, it is logical to assume that the effect of electromagnetic radiation on a person results in an increased permeability of the blood-brain barrier.
EMF and sleep
The upper scale of electromagnetic radiation has some effect on sleep. This topic has become relevant for several reasons. Among other symptoms, complaints of sleep disturbances were mentioned in anecdotal reports of people who thought they had EMR. This has led to speculation that electromagnetic fields can interfere with the normal course of sleep, with consequent health consequences. The potential risk of sleep disturbance should be considered in view of the fact that it is a very complex biological process controlled by the central nervous system. Although exact neurobiological mechanisms have not yet been established, the regular alternation of wakefulness and rest is a necessary requirement to ensure the proper functioning of the brain, metabolic homeostasis and the immune system.
In addition, sleep, it seems, is precisely that physiological system, the study of which will make it possible to find out the effect of high frequency electromagnetic radiation on a person, since in this biological state the body is sensitive to external stimuli. There is evidence that weak EMFs, the intensity of which is much lower than that at which an increase in temperature may occur, can also cause biological effects.
Currently, studies of the effect of non-ionizing high-frequency electromagnetic radiation are clearly focused on the risk of cancer, due to concerns about the carcinogenic properties of ionizing radiation.
Negative manifestations
Thus, the effect of electromagnetic radiation on a person, even non-ionizing, takes place, especially in the case of high-voltage power lines and the effect of the corona. Microwave radiation affects the nervous, cardiovascular, immune and reproductive systems, including causing damage to the nervous system, changing its reaction, electroencephalogram, blood-brain barrier, causing circadian rhythm disturbances (wakefulness - sleep) by interfering with the work of the pineal gland and creating hormonal imbalances, changes in heart rate and blood pressure, impairing immunity to pathogens, causing weakness, exhaustion, growth problems, DNA damage and cancer.
It is recommended to erect buildings away from sources of electromagnetic radiation, and protection against electromagnetic radiation from high-voltage power lines should be mandatory. In cities, cables must be laid underground and equipment used to neutralize the effect of electromagnetic radiation.
According to the results of a correlation analysis based on experimental data, it was concluded that it is possible to significantly reduce the effect of electromagnetic radiation on power lines by reducing the wire sag distance, which will lead to an increase in the distance between the conductive line and the measurement point. In addition, the terrain under the power line also affects this distance.
Precautionary measures
Electricity is an integral part of the life of modern society. This means that EMR will always be around us. And in order for EMFs to make our lives easier, and not shorter, some precautions should be observed:
- Do not let children play near power lines, transformers, satellite transmitters, and microwave sources.
- Avoid locations where the magnetic flux density exceeds 1 mG. It is necessary to measure the level of EMF devices in the off and running state.
- It is necessary to carry out a relocation in the office or at home in such a way as not to be exposed to the field of electrical appliances and computers.
- You can’t sit too close in front of the computer. Monitors vary greatly in the strength of their EMP. Do not stand by a working microwave.
- Move electrical appliances at least 2 m from the bed. No wiring under the bed. Remove the dimmers and 3-way switches.
- Precautions should be observed when using wireless devices such as electric toothbrushes, razors.
- In addition, it is recommended that you wear as little jewelry as possible and take them off at night.
- It is also necessary to remember that EMR passes through walls, and consider sources in the next room or behind the walls of the room.